


The Life in His Love

by MayQueen517



Series: The Old Guard Tumblr Prompts [8]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Joe and Nicky have to do a lot of coping and talking about everything that happened in London, M/M, Unbeta'd, but they're both able to ask for what they need of the other which is good, cross posted from tumblr, mentions of Kozak, tumblr cuddle meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:21:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26722813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayQueen517/pseuds/MayQueen517
Summary: ...post-coitalJoe breathes in heavily, wetly, as he rubs their noses together.“I don’t know if I would say the worst, but it is the worst in this moment.”
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: The Old Guard Tumblr Prompts [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944751
Comments: 4
Kudos: 140





	The Life in His Love

**Author's Note:**

> Cross posting from Tumblr!

“We should shower,” mumbles Nicky into Joe’s chest. He can feel the rapid thudding of Joe’s heart even as the mess from the both dries between them. He can’t bring himself to move, draped across Joe’s front, pressing lazy kisses along his chest. Nicky feels the lump of emotion sitting in his throat, thinking of Joe on the table beside him, having to watch him be carved into time and time again.

Nicky presses his forehead against Joe’s chest, squeezing his eyes shut tightly, breathing shakily.

“Talk to me, Nico,” Joe whispers, carding his hand through Nicky’s hair gently, the motion soothing as Nicky exhales in a huff. He turns his head, looking up to meet Joe’s warm, loving eyes.

“She carved you open,” Nicky says, fingertips drifting over Joe’s hip, half-remembering the greedy expression on Kozak’s face as she made dispassionate notes.

“I was not the only one, my love,” Joe says, pulling Nicky up so they can press their foreheads together. His eyes are warm and Nicky can see the tears pooling there. “I watched her take her samples from you too.”

“In all of our years, do you think that was the worst?” Nicky asks, rolling his lips together so the sob that’s clawing it’s way up doesn’t escape. Joe breathes in heavily, wetly, as he rubs their noses together.

“I don’t know if I would say the worst, but it is the worst in this moment.”

“My love, the poet,” Nicky says, softly, a wet laugh escaping him as tears begin to streak down his cheeks. Joe guides Nicky’s head to the crook of his neck, their legs tangled together as Nicky cries. He thinks of all the deaths between them and all the history they have as Joe gives over to his own emotions.

“I would have taken every ounce of your pain,” Nicky says, pulling back to press his forehead to Joe’s. Joe kisses him slowly, so slowly, that it’s like the first breath in the morning. Nicky sighs into it, kissing him softly and hoping Joe knows of his love.

“Well, then we would be back at square one because I feel the same about your pain,” Joe says, a wet smile crossing his face. Nicky laughs sadly, kissing Joe again, reveling in the taste of him and the warmth of his mouth, as familiar as the sun rising to greet the day.

“Shower?” Nicky murmurs as Joe sighs shakily against his lips. Nicky reaches up, using the pad of this thumb to wipe Joe’s cheeks free of tears as Joe returns the favor.

“Later. For now, I would like you to hold me,” Joe says, kissing the paths that Nicky’s tears have trailed. Nicky shifts, laying further on his back as Joe rests his head on Nicky’s collarbone, a comforting weight and a reminder of the life in his love.


End file.
